Why can't we admit that the political discourse has become toxic in general but mostly so on the "new right" - e.g. tea party? Mrs Palin's role in that assassination attempt is unfortunate, to say the least:_________________florian - ny22

Hate-speak rhetoric surely fans the flames of the fringe. Ms. Palinís campaign antics were hateful. She and supporters of such tactics should be held accountable for the ensuing damage.
My heart goes out to the families whose lives are torn apart by todayís tragedy._________________mo

Sarah, Glen, Sean, Rush (how could I forget this bozo?) and the rest need to realize that their hate speech has an affect on those with less than normal reasoning ability. Look at what they have done to Isobars._________________{JP:}====****

Last edited by jpbassman on Sun Jan 09, 2011 1:43 pm; edited 1 time in total

Sorry to say that the Federal Judge who was killed at this event was Arizona's chief federal judge, a republican appointed by gw bush. He was the biggest political casualty of this event. Both he and congresswoman Gifford were supporting the Arizona immigration law, and are/were politically center to right leaning.

So.....stop the right wing conspiracy theories. Neither would be remotely considered a target by the phantom right wing conspirators. They were both well respected by conservatives.

The killer on the other hand seems to be an anarchist.

"John Roll, Arizona's chief federal judge, was killed in the same incident in which Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot on Saturday morning.

A federal law enforcement official first confirmed to TPM that a federal judge was shot. The U.S. Marshals Service is on the scene of the shooting, the federal official told TPM. The Marshals Service employees responded to the scene after the shooting, the official said.

WNBC reporter Jonathan Dienst confirmed Roll was killed. A statement from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement that Roll had been attacked.

Roll faced death threats in 2009 after presiding over a $32 million civil-rights lawsuit, the Arizona Republic reported:

When Roll ruled the case could go forward, Gonzales said talk-radio shows cranked up the controversy and spurred audiences into making threats.
In one afternoon, Roll logged more than 200 phone calls. Callers threatened the judge and his family. They posted personal information about Roll online.

"They said, 'We should kill him. He should be dead,' " Gonzales said.

Roll, who is the chief federal judge in Arizona, said both he and his wife were given a protection detail for about a month.
"It was unnerving and invasive. . . . By its nature it has to be," Roll said, adding that they were encouraged to live their lives as normally as possible. "It was handled very professionally by the Marshals Service."

At the end of the month, Roll said four key men had been identified as threat makers.

The Marshals Service left to him the decision to press charges but recommended against it. Roll said he had no qualms about following their advice.

The recommendation was based on the intent of those making the threats.

"I have a very strong belief that there is nothing wrong with criticizing a judicial decision," he said. "But when it comes to threats, that is an entirely different matter.""

If one can command the audience that Ms Palin, Rush, Beck etc. can, they have the responsibility to maintain some level of civility. The inflamatory rhetoric spewed by these folks can have unintended consequences.

We don't know that was the situation here. What we do know, is that funds for the treatment and care of the mentally ill have been continually cut in state budgets. We have a lot more sick people out there.

Precisely............and yet, predictably, so many here are prepared to jump to conclusions and engage in the same type a heated rhetoric which they condemn. The shooter lists the Communist manifesto and Mein Kampf as his favorites.........hardly indicative of a consistent political viewpoint. How about waiting for more facts to emerge before further stoking the fires?

We are to ignore the repeated attempts by TEA baggers to portray Obama and all "liberals" as less than human, with a target on their back? We are to ignore mrgybe's defense of the TEA baggers, despite their embracing the rhetoric of violence? We are to ignore Yeehaas crossed guns and the constant threats of violence by bard and Isobars? We are to ignore the campaign of her opponent, where the fundraising key was to shoot some automatic weapons with the TEA-Bag supported candidate? We are to ignore Sarah's repeated pleas to take our country back, by violence as necessary? We are to ignore the attack on her office when she voted for healthcare? Please, we have enough evidence of the culture of the right.

The more ironic issue here is that Representative Gifford started as a moderate Republican, but left the party because the intolerant social conservatives made her uncomfortable. This is the story of the tragedy. The willingness of the Republicans to embrace the unhinged to try to get back into power.

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forumYou cannot attach files in this forumYou cannot download files in this forum